• 60 ideas
  • Checked October 2026

Twig Art Ideas

Three twig projects per press, each with how many sticks it takes and the first snap, lashing or wrap.

Twig Art Ideas

Show all 60
  1. A six-point star from two twig triangles, one laid over the otherTwigs, 6. Lash two triangles the same size, turn one upside down and tie them where they cross.
  2. A small mat woven from strips of peeled bark, a twig bound along two edgesTwigs, 6 green ones. Peel the bark off in long strips, weave the strips over and under and bind a twig to two sides.
  3. A grove of birches: twigs painted white with black dashes, stood in clayTwigs, 6 straight ones. Paint them white, then flick short black dashes across, not along.

Next step Shapes to draw before you buildPictures made of string

All 60 ideas

Frames and stars 12

  • A frame faced with short twigs laid side by side like a fence, bark left on Twigs, 40 short ones, and a card frame. Snap them to one length and glue them standing in a row.
  • A frame half grown already: one big fork closed by a twig across its tips Forked twig, 1, and 1 straight. Lash the straight twig across the two tips. The fork is two sides and one corner.
  • A house outline of five twigs with a twig chimney Twigs, 6. A floor, two walls, two roof twigs and one short upright. Hang it on a window as a frame for the view.
  • A picture frame of four twig bundles tied at the corners Twigs, 12, and string. Tie three twigs into each side, then cross the bundles and lash the corners.
  • A pyramid frame of six twigs tied at its four corners Twigs, 6, equal lengths. Lash a triangle flat, then stand three more up from its corners to one peak.
  • A six-point star from two twig triangles, one laid over the other Twigs, 6. Lash two triangles the same size, turn one upside down and tie them where they cross.
  • A snowflake of three crossed twigs with forked tips, painted white Twigs, 3, each forked at both ends. Lash them at the center and the forks make twelve points.
  • A triangle of three twigs with a paper moon hung in the middle Twigs, 3. Lash the corners, tie a thread to the top one and hang the moon so it turns freely.
  • A twig frame strung with thread like a harp, with a feather slipped through Twigs, 4, and thread. Wind the thread across the frame in close rows and weave the feather in.
  • A twig window with four panes and a tissue curtain Twigs, 6. Lash a square, add one upright and one crossbar, and glue a strip of tissue behind the top.
  • An easel of three twig legs and a crossbar that holds a postcard Twigs, 4. Tie three legs at the top, spread them and lash the crossbar across the front two.
  • Your initial built from straight and forked twigs Twigs, 3 to 5. Look for the letter in the forks first: a Y, a K and a T grow ready-made.

Woven twigs 12

  • A banner of big leaves joined edge to edge by short twig stitches Twigs, 8 short thin ones, and leaves. Overlap two leaves, push a twig in and out through both like a pin, then add more.
  • A coaster woven like wicker: thin green twigs wound in and out of seven spokes Twigs, 4 thick and 10 thin green ones. Cross the thick ones, snap one arm off for an odd count and weave around.
  • A fish woven on a forked twig, the fork left bare as its tail Forked twig, 1, and yarn. Warp only the closed end of the fork. Change color halfway for the head.
  • A forked-branch loom woven with grass, leaves and a feather, not yarn Forked twig, 1, and string. String the warp, then weave in whatever the same walk turned up.
  • A hanging where the twigs are the stripes, slid through seven warp threads Twigs, 8, and thread. Hang the threads from a stick and slide the twigs through, over and under.
  • A sail of cloth strips woven across a three-twig triangle Twigs, 3, and cloth strips. Lash the triangle, then weave strips from the widest side up to the peak.
  • A small mat woven from strips of peeled bark, a twig bound along two edges Twigs, 6 green ones. Peel the bark off in long strips, weave the strips over and under and bind a twig to two sides.
  • A sun: yarn woven outward from the center of eight twig rays Twigs, 4, and yarn. Cross and lash them into eight rays. Loop the yarn once around each ray as you circle, changing yellows.
  • A trellis of crossed twigs tied in diamonds, for a potted plant to climb Twigs, 8, and string. Lay four one way and four across them on a slant, and tie every crossing.
  • A twig star with yarn wrapped from point to point until it fills in Twigs, 5, and yarn. Lash the star first. Wind the yarn around each point in turn, always the same way.
  • A wattle fence for a toy farm: thin twigs woven between upright ones Twigs, 5 uprights and 10 bendy ones, in a strip of clay. Weave in front, behind, in front.
  • A weaving on a forked branch, yarn strung between its two arms Forked twig, 1, and yarn. Wind the yarn from arm to arm to make the warp, then weave across it.

Stick figures and animals 12

  • A dinosaur skeleton laid out in twigs on dark card, ribs graded by length Twigs, 30. Lay the spine as a curve first. Snap the ribs longest at the middle of the body.
  • A drawn stag with real forked twigs glued on as antlers Forked twigs, 2, and card. Draw the head low on the card so the antlers have room to spread.
  • A family portrait in twigs on card, every person snapped to scale Twigs, 1 a person and extras for arms. Stand the family in a row and snap each twig to height.
  • A giraffe whose neck and front legs are a single tall fork Forked twigs, 2. Stand the tall fork on its two prongs. Lash the second fork behind it as the back legs.
  • A horse with a twig-bundle body and a tail of dry grass Twigs, 9, and string. Tie five into a body, lash on four legs and tuck the grass under the last wrap.
  • A lizard on card: a curved twig body and four forked twigs as feet with toes Twigs, 1 curved and 4 forked. The forks are the toes. Glue the body down in an S.
  • A scarecrow on two crossed twigs, dressed in cloth scraps Twigs, 2, and scraps. Lash a cross, tie a scrap around the crossing as a shirt and stuff it with dry grass.
  • A spider with eight bent-twig legs under a ball of clay Twigs, 8 thin ones, and clay. Pick twigs with a natural elbow and push four into each side.
  • A stick insect built from twigs and set on a real branch to hide Twigs, 7. One thick body twig, six thin bent legs glued under it. Leave the bark on everything.
  • A walker from one forked twig: the fork as legs, a tied-on twig as arms Forked twig, 1, and 1 straight. Lash the arms across just under the top. A leaf makes the coat.
  • An owl on card outlined in short twigs, with bark for wings Twigs, 20 short ones, and bark. Glue the outline first and fill the chest with rows of twig ends.
  • Five twig dancers on a card strip, each fork posed in a different leap Forked twigs, 5. Turn each fork until it reads as a pose, then glue it and add a paper head.

Painted and wrapped sticks 12

  • A barber pole: one yarn spiral up a twig with bark showing between turns Twig, 1, and yarn. Space the turns a finger apart on the way up and cross them on the way down.
  • A branch painted from dark at its base to pale at its tips Twig, 1 branching one. Add a little white to the color every time the branch forks.
  • A color wheel of twelve twigs, each wrapped in one yarn color Twigs, 12, and yarn. Wrap each twig in a single color and lay them in a ring like clock hands.
  • A forked twig painted as a two-headed dragon, one head on each arm Forked twig, 1. Paint scales up the stem and a face at each tip. The knots in the wood become eyes.
  • A grove of birches: twigs painted white with black dashes, stood in clay Twigs, 6 straight ones. Paint them white, then flick short black dashes across, not along.
  • A jar of bare twigs with tips dipped in white, like the first snow Twigs, 9 branching ones. Dip only the last thumb length of every tip and stand them to dry.
  • A knobbly twig painted as a caterpillar, one color a segment Twig, 1 with bumps. Every bump is a segment. Two dots at the thick end make the face.
  • A peeled twig with a pen pattern drawn down its pale wood Twig, 1 green one. Peel the bark from half its length and draw on the bare part when it has dried.
  • A rainbow bundle: seven twigs, each painted one color, tied together Twigs, 7. Paint each twig all over, let them dry on a jar rim and tie the bundle in rainbow order.
  • A stick wrapped in yarn color blocks with bare bark between them Twig, 1, and yarn. Trap the yarn end under the first three turns. Leave a finger of bark between colors.
  • A tally stick with a painted band added after every walk Twig, 1 thick one. Each walk earns a band in a color seen that day. Start at the thick end.
  • A twig painted in rows of dots that follow every bend Twig, 1 crooked one. Use the handle end of a brush. Each row of dots follows the bend, not a straight line.

Mobiles, wreaths and wands 12

  • A chime of twig lengths hung in a row from longest to shortest Twigs, 8 dry ones. Snap each a little shorter than the last and hang them close enough to knock.
  • A column of twig triangles hung corner to corner Twigs, 9. Lash three triangles and tie the peak of each to the base of the one above.
  • A crescent moon wreath, bundled thick in the middle and thin at both tips Twigs, 30, and a card crescent. Lay every twig along the curve and bind with thread as you go.
  • A crown of bendy twigs twisted into a circlet with leaves tucked in Twigs, 3 green ones. Twist them around each other like rope, size the ring to a head and bind it.
  • A hanging ring of one bendy twig with short twigs dangling inside it Twigs, 1 green and 6 short. Bend the green twig into a ring, overlap the ends and bind them.
  • A heart wreath from two bendy twigs bowed and tied at top and bottom Twigs, 2 green ones. Tie the thick ends together, bow each twig out and bring the tips down to meet.
  • A mobile of two crossed twigs hung with feathers and seed pods Twigs, 2. Lash the cross, hang it from its center and add things in pairs to keep the balance.
  • A mobile on one forked branch, a paper leaf hung from every tip Forked branch, 1, with many tips. Hang it by one thread and slide the knot until the branch sits level.
  • A streamer stick: yarn wound up the twig, cloth tails knotted at its tip Twig, 1 straight one. Wrap the yarn up, tie the cloth strips on at the top and wrap back down over the knots.
  • A tabletop tree: a bare branch set in a pot of sand and hung with paper birds Branch, 1 with many twigs. Pack the sand down hard. Hang the heaviest birds near the trunk.
  • A wand with a small twig star lashed to its tip Twigs, 6. Make the star from five short pieces, then lash one of its points to the long twig.
  • A wreath of short twig bundles tied around a ring, tips pointing outward Twigs, 40, and a card ring. Tie them in bundles of five and overlap each bundle on the last.

How it works

A twig is a slim branch, often short, of a bush or tree. These stick art ideas use what a fallen twig already has: a fork, a bend, bark, and a length you can snap by hand.

Read the full guide

Easy twig art ideas need only string

The first skill is a lashing: cross two twigs, wind string around the crossing one way, then the other, and knot it. A star takes five. Dry twigs snap to length and hold glue. Green twigs bend, which the wreaths and woven pieces need.

Arts and craft ideas with sticks that fork

A fork is the most useful shape on the ground. Strung with yarn between its arms it is a loom. Turned upside down it is a pair of legs. Branch art ideas for a wall start with one large fork as the hanger for a mobile.

  • Snap a twig over both thumbs to shorten it. A clean snap means it is dry enough to take glue.
  • Bark that flakes takes paint badly. Rub the loose bark off with a cloth first.

Questions and answers

What can you make with twigs?

Stars and frames lashed with string, weavings on a forked branch, stick animals, painted and yarn-wrapped sticks, wreaths, wands and mobiles. This list holds 60, each with the number of twigs it takes and the first step.

What is a good middle school twig art idea?

A weaving on a forked branch. Every student finds a different fork, so no two pieces match, and the yarn colors and the things woven in are their own choice. The dinosaur skeleton laid out in twigs on dark card suits a pair.

How do you join twigs without glue?

Lash them. Cross two twigs, wind string around the crossing six times one way and six times the other, pull tight and knot at the back. Yarn and raffia work the same way and can be left showing as part of the design.

Should twigs be dry or green?

Dry for stars, frames and figures: a dry twig snaps cleanly and stays the shape it is. Green, freshly fallen twigs for wreaths, crowns and anything bent into a ring, because they flex without breaking. The hints say bendy where it matters.

More tools

Show 1 more

Browse Drawing Ideas